And my annual survey of constituents says …

Every year, I send out a constituent survey as we begin the legislative session. Your answers to the questions are very helpful to me as I consider bills and policies during the session and this year was no exception.

I send this survey out through an email service that I employ to all the registered voters (from all parties) in my senate district for which I have email addresses and always get a good response. Almost 900 people looked at the survey and 439 completed the survey this year. This isn’t scientific but it gives me a me a good cross-section of opinions.

I asked you to tell me what the most important topics in the state were for you and 41 percent said education, 20 percent water and 15 percent taxes.

I asked you if you think we should keep the death penalty as an option for a person convicted of first-degree murder and 77.5 percent of you said yes. I personally agree with the majority here.

The Lake Powell Pipeline isn’t quite as hot of an issue this session as it has been in the past but is still something that needs to be dealt with. My senate district includes Beaver, Iron and Washington counties, so some of the respondents do not live in Washington County and will not receive any water from the pipeline but the funding mechanism still could involve the whole state. Only 34.5 percent of you said “yes” we should build it and 40 percent said no, with 25.5 percent undecided.

Medical marijuana is still being discussed but because of the uncertainty concerning this issue with President Trump’s new administration, we will not be able to decide this year whether or not to make it legal in Utah.

I asked you what you think is the best process to decide this topic. The majority, 39 percent, feel the legislature should decide the wording and put it on the statewide ballot in 2018. The next highest vote, 22 percent, did not support any kind of medical marijuana, while 17 percent think the legislature should vote yes or no and 15 percent think it should go on the 2018 ballot through a citizen’s voter initiative.

It appears that many of you are much more educated on this topic and when I asked what type of product you prefer, 47 percent prefer a high CBD/low THC product.

I asked a couple of questions about taxes.

I asked if you would vote to increase the income tax from 5 percent to 5 7/8 percent if it was on the ballot through the Education First initiative in 2018 and 49.4 percent said no with 37.2 percent saying yes.

I also asked if you think we should pay state sales tax on our internet purchases. A majority, 51.6 percent, said yes and 37.2 percent said no.

Thank you so much for responding to this survey and I hope you enjoy reviewing the results. I appreciate the opportunity to represent you in the State Senate and encourage you to contact me at any time, 435-817-5565 or evickers@le.utah.gov.

Evan Vickers represents Senate District 28, which includes Beaver and Iron counties and the eastern portion of Washington County. He is participating, along with other members of the state legislature from Southern Utah, in a rotating weekly column for The Spectrum & Daily News during the annual legislative session.